Sam Webb Interview Re: Partridge & Michigan's PSU Prep
Ahoy folks,
Been a brutal day, but I thought this brief video had some good tidbits to ease the blow. Two things of note for me:
- Partridge got axed for his communications with players regarding the investigation (around 2:28 mark). Been some speculation about deleting files or coordinating with Stalions, but Sam doesn't seem to think so.
- Michigan's staff fully expected a TRO and had not repped with Harbaugh's absence factored in (~7:00 mark). Maryland will be a great warm up for the staff's process to get worked out before The Game.
November 17th, 2023 at 7:36 PM ^
Based on your feefees?
November 17th, 2023 at 9:40 PM ^
I’ve held out for years against the “Harbaugh is heading to the NFL” talks but I finally think it’s happening. This is just too much bullshit for an old dog like him to deal with.
November 17th, 2023 at 6:35 PM ^
Well...well...well. Do you suppose Harbaugh feels the school has pulled the rug out from under him? Hmmmmm. We know Jim is sensitive. I think at this point it is more likely than not that he is coaching in Vegas next year.
November 17th, 2023 at 6:43 PM ^
Folks...it's not that I want Harbaugh to leave. But the last 48 hours leaves me skeptical that Harbaugh would want to stay. Would you after your bosses beat a hasty retreat from having your back? Harbaugh stays as long as there are games to play after OSU. Out of loyalty to his players. Then...
November 17th, 2023 at 6:47 PM ^
I don't know. It's not as if the NFL is all sweetness and light, and he knows that from experience. He may go anyway, but there are no guarantees that it will be any easier than this, at least not in the long run.
November 17th, 2023 at 7:11 PM ^
His worry may be that this will not end … there’s no guarantee that the B1G or NCAA won’t be handing out more punishments … and no guarantee that the hairless nuts and their accomplices will stop trying to sabotage Harbaugh … he might be sick of it and I would not blame him one bit if he decides to go … I would be upset as he is the best coach in college ball !!!
November 17th, 2023 at 6:47 PM ^
Um, Harbaugh agreed to accept the suspension.
November 17th, 2023 at 7:12 PM ^
to get the limelight off him and the team and have some semblance of normalcy in preparation for the biggest game of the year !!!
November 17th, 2023 at 7:07 PM ^
I think it's a reasonable assumption he'll seek an NFL job again, but not because Michigan beat a hasty retreat. He had to fire one of his assistant coaches today who was apparently impeding an investigation with which Michigan said publicly it would cooperate. If he goes to the NFL it will be because (a) he's previously expressed interest in NFL jobs and (b) he's tired of the NCAA/B1G bullshit.
November 17th, 2023 at 8:02 PM ^
I wouldn’t blame Jim if he decided to leave after this, but I really hope he doesn’t. He has been a great coach and steward of the Michigan program. We should all be proud of what he has done.
Jim leaving after the season would be a big win for our enemies: Ohio State/Eddie Munster, Little Brother, Pete Finebaum, Stephen A, Thamel, Tony Tiny Dick, NCAA, etc. These people all suck ass and I hate them.
November 17th, 2023 at 7:08 PM ^
I think it's pretty clear that the Regents, President Ono, and the AD have supported Coach Harbaugh strongly as of late. It also seems pretty clear that Harbaugh was blindsided by his now former assistant. The latest revelation was the likely impetus behind the settlement, not any intrinsic lack of institutional support for Coach Harbaugh.
November 17th, 2023 at 7:35 PM ^
I think Ono and Warde still unconditionally have his back, but in light of this Partridge news that came out today, they were probably given an ultimatum: fire Partridge, accept the punishment already handed down and stop the bleeding right there, or try their luck in court and see what else came out.
Michigan clearly did not do enough internal investigation last week to find out what it’s staff knew or didn’t know. Not before it put its foot in the ground and pursued its legal recourse. My guess is they were comfortable believing Harbaugh knew nothing about what was going on, but they weren’t willing to risk the B1G continuing to dig deeper and find out who else might’ve known about this.
This feels like cutting away the dying gangrenous flesh to save the rest of the body.
November 17th, 2023 at 7:54 PM ^
Michigan clearly did not do enough internal investigation last week to find out what it’s staff knew or didn’t know.
If Partridge was advising players what to say, that wouldn't come out in an investigation last week about what the staff knew. Further Partridge's actions could have come after such an investigation.
Bigger question on my mind. Was Michigan clear on that advising players was a no no. Maybe I'm naive, but I could see a player going to a coach for advice and the coach counseling him. A lot depends on what the coach advised them to say ( or to avoid).
November 17th, 2023 at 7:39 PM ^
Who do you think wants him? Peter King doesn’t think the nfl has much interest, like the last two years. How many billionaire owners want to share the limelight with harbaugh?
November 17th, 2023 at 8:13 PM ^
Most owners don’t give a shit, they just want to count money.
November 17th, 2023 at 8:33 PM ^
If they think he can win, they will hire him. And they won’t give a fuck what Tony Pettiti or the NCAA have to say about it. They won’t have to care.
November 17th, 2023 at 9:27 PM ^
Half the NFL would jump at chance to hire him.
November 17th, 2023 at 10:03 PM ^
Not a hasty retreat…when lawyers from the NCAA say “we have reason to suspect that X, Y and Z” were involved in “X, Y and Z” and we will question all parties for extensive periods of time during your prep week for your biggest rival…..usually the smart move for the guilty party is to back down and settle with the least amount of public damage which still allows them to cash in on its success…..at least for the time being.
November 17th, 2023 at 7:06 PM ^
I would have upvoted you except for the Vegas part. Jim's too smart to work for Mork Davis.
November 17th, 2023 at 6:12 PM ^
If the players can continue to keep their focus through all this, you have to really admire that. It can't be easy.
November 17th, 2023 at 6:15 PM ^
Truly. This makes their performance that much more incredible while playing PSU.
November 17th, 2023 at 6:18 PM ^
Agreed. If the guys actually keep it together and win these next two games, they are legends for life.
November 17th, 2023 at 6:13 PM ^
Fuck all of this. The only way for this to be digestible is if Harbaugh stays. Extension asap
November 17th, 2023 at 6:32 PM ^
The only way for this to be digestible is if we win the next three games.
November 17th, 2023 at 6:35 PM ^
Uh…. FIVE games.
November 17th, 2023 at 6:14 PM ^
Michigan not planning for Harbaugh's absence is asinine. I am choosing not to believe this is the case. None of the Michigan insiders seem very clued into this situation. They just seem to be a mouth piece for a few specific "sources" within the program trying to control the narrative.
November 17th, 2023 at 6:19 PM ^
You would think they would have prepared all week for a Harbaughless game vs. PSU when it was a possibility. Hopefully, they can snap the ball with no less than 10 seconds on the playclock this week and certainly next week.
November 17th, 2023 at 6:36 PM ^
On the flipside, denial is a pretty common defense mechanism. Not that any of us would know about that.
November 17th, 2023 at 6:36 PM ^
Yeah that is organizational malpractice.
November 17th, 2023 at 6:40 PM ^
I mean Michigan used 5 of their 6 timeouts so they wouldn't have delay of game penalties.
There's a few different reasons for that but can we all agree that extra prep will help.
November 17th, 2023 at 8:15 PM ^
Happy Valley is a really tough place to play in. On top of all the Harbaugh stuff, the fans made it really hard on the offense.
November 17th, 2023 at 6:45 PM ^
It could use some clarification, but there’s a difference between logistical preparation and emotional preparation. I didn’t take it to mean the former until your comment. I highly doubt they didn’t have a plan.
November 17th, 2023 at 6:49 PM ^
Such nonsense. Of course they planned for his absence. They do nothing but plan. And Harbaugh leaves pretty much all the playcalling to the coordinators anyway. His absence on gameday means something but not as much as you think.
November 17th, 2023 at 7:05 PM ^
I first read this as not prepping for Maryland without Harbaugh which would be nuts but then realized it was PSU which is far less nuts considering he was suspended while flying there. Also as many have said, the head guy doesnt do much on game day if hes not calling plays and we already had 3 games of practice at the beginning of the year because this is the dumbest season of all time. Really wish they woulda let Jay be the head man though since he's not a coordinator and is far more well rounded and I think experienced than Hart.
November 17th, 2023 at 6:17 PM ^
Bummed to hear about Partridge earlier bc I was a big fan of his. But we’ve been penalized and have fired coaches now. Time to focus on the next week bc everything is still on the table for this team.
November 17th, 2023 at 6:24 PM ^
They hadn't repped with his absence factored in? Wowers.
November 17th, 2023 at 6:35 PM ^
He means aside from the 3 games earlier this season, right?
November 17th, 2023 at 7:53 PM ^
From a schematic standpoint, that's not really how it works. Different team, different schemes, different times altogether. Plus you're going on the road to play a top 10 team A semi shitty one yes, but still.
That aside, I just don't get why we're always caught off guard and are the last to know everything. I won't list all the bad surprises we've faced in the last year, but them shits are piling up somethin fierce.
November 17th, 2023 at 6:25 PM ^
Yeah sorry but Sam can kick rocks with everyone else with their "insider" status and info. I appreciate the mgoblog roundtable and all that , but frankly I don't care what any of them have to say about signgate, or the program. I listen for the actual football game discussion, but outside of that I'm not listening to any of these guys.
November 17th, 2023 at 6:57 PM ^
Right there with ya. Can’t listen to any “insiders” anymore unless it’s about actual football, FFFF, etc. and all that. So impressed with the team’s handling of PSU under crazy circumstances. Keep pushing.
November 17th, 2023 at 7:19 PM ^
Agree. They've spent the first 20 minutes of every roundtable for the past month screaming about how outrageous this is, over and over and over again, all agreeing with each other, not one person even suggesting another perspective, even as a devil's advocate. It was quite boring, and I stopped listening. I love their analysis of the games and of recruiting, but the amount of time spent on this has been irritating.
November 17th, 2023 at 9:04 PM ^
I only found it annoying because before the podcast even gets posted some new piece of bullshit has dripped out and made everything they said outdated.
November 17th, 2023 at 6:27 PM ^
I’m Uncle T?
November 17th, 2023 at 7:15 PM ^
Maybe Uncle Fester...
November 17th, 2023 at 6:30 PM ^
I wonder if OSU fires Day when we beat him next week? Three straight losses to Michigan, one with Harbaugh suspended. I think the ghost of John Cooper makes them fire him.
November 17th, 2023 at 7:00 PM ^
I would love it if they did, but I think Ryan bought himself a lot more time with this whole Michigan signgate scandal. His entire fanbase believes that he got completely shafted the last two games that he lost and that it isn’t his fault because Michigan had such a huge advantage. Even if they lose this year, 80% of their fan base will believe it’s because Michigan still has Connor Stalions’ laminated cards with all the plays on them and they’re still cheating in order to win.
November 17th, 2023 at 7:04 PM ^
Good, keep him as long as possible.
November 17th, 2023 at 7:19 PM ^
Sincerely hope not. I hope he’s there for years to come, hearing every jeer and every boo that cascades upon him annually as OSU fans exercise their frustrations upon yet again failing for this year to be “the year.” I hope Ryan Day continues to be an excellent coach and recruiter who is SO good he cannot be replaced because the only losses he EVER suffers are repeatedly at the hands of an aging Jim Harbaugh who, despite Day’s best efforts (including hiring private investigators, paying hookers to seduce him, and whatever else Day cooks up in the decade of unending pain that is yet to come) simply won’t leave until he has watched Ryan Day fail over and over and over again. I want to see Ryan Day lose to Michigan year after year until NO amount of just for men can contain the grey hair in his beard, each and every one a twisted, wiry reminder of yet another run play that he cannot stop, slowly eroding his sanity until he has to finally step down due to mental health concerns, until decades later he can be found wandering the streets of Columbus, foul smelling, a broken empty shell of a man muttering to himself about Down G and fools hurdled.
or fuck it, fire his ass, I’d enjoy that too
November 17th, 2023 at 7:37 PM ^
We should hang out. I like the way you think.
November 18th, 2023 at 9:08 AM ^
Won't happen because he will and they will claim it only happen due to sign stealing.